Disciple of Zero
by Seiker Hikaru
Summary: Timelines... that rule of the multiverse that is subject to branching and splitting because of even the slightest change... or. sometimes, a slight change that barely alters a thing, but results in the same or different outcomes because of it. This is a story of one such alteration, both similar and different to another... at the center of this change is Nil, the Disciple of Zero.
1. Verse X

Nullsworn: Disciple of Zero

 **Verse X: Awaken**

"Welcome back."

An eye snapped open at the sound of the voice, the left side of their vision empty, though from what they could remember, it was because of an eyepatch… and whoever it was who had awoken them, was looking down at them with emerald eyes behind glasses, a girl who gave off a mischievous air as her black hair bounced with her movements.

"Accord…" the person spoke, but it was like despite being heard, a sound didn't leave their throat, not knowing why they said that, and the girl nodded, like she'd heard the person either way.

"Good, looks like you remember who I am… among other things." Accord hummed, sitting back as the person sat up, strands of hair falling into place, though the person brushed the strands out of their vision. "From that bewildered look on your face, I can assume you're wondering just what's going on, aren't you?"

The person nodded, looking around to see they were seated at a beachside near a cliff that led to a green path, and built into the cliff was what looked like some kind of shop, and Accord then moved back into their vision.

"Hey, focus on me. You can't remember anything, can you?" Accord asked, getting a head shake in response, "I figured as much… it seems all of the singularities gathered here and coalesced into one at a concise time after meeting their demises, even if it was a different points… most interesting… which means _you_ are a gathering single unit of multiple singularities, although said singularities are an individual anyway."

"What?"

"Sorry, sorry, going off on a tangent. This is just a _very_ interesting topic. Tell me, what can _you_ remember so far? Any recent sort of… spilling up? Something recent you can tell me of? Anything moving around in that jumbled head of yours?" Accord requested, the person scratching their head.

"No… it's… all a mess… like one thing comes in, only to be replaced by another… I can't make any sense of it right now."

"That makes sense, well, it seems that for now I'll have to re-inform you on what happened, going from the beginning. Come, we'll go into the shop." Accord stood and entered the shop, the person nodding and following her in, and at the table, "I have a story to tell so we can pass the time as you remember… the story of a singularity named Zero… and of the other singularity who stood by her side…"

The person then blinked, flashes coming into their head… flashes of a white haired girl with a flower over her eye, one flash of the girl holding a sword and covered in blood, and another of the girl sleeping with a smile on her face, and a name stuck in the person's mind.

"Nil…"

"Ah, seems you remembered that!" Accord hummed, unrolling a scroll, and then getting to starting to write on a new sheet of paper, "Yes, this story is not just about Zero herself, but also, of the singularity known as Nil, a singularity unique to a completely separate and rather unique, but similar, timeline than the first one."

"Separate, but… similar?"

"In a most interesting way as well." Accord stated, finishing her writing, "Now, I'll explain as we head in.. but why don't we start from this Verse right here? Verse 0, when Nil and Zero first tried to kill the other Intoners…"

 **A/N**

 **A what if project of mine... also a bulk writing project to boot. Hope you few who read this one enjoy what is to come!**


	2. Verse 0

Nullsworm: Disciple of Zero

 **Verse 0: End to Beginning**

 _Long ago, in an age tarnished by endless conflict, five beautiful goddesses descended upon the land. The goddesses sang mystical songs that restored peace and harmony to our broken world. The people began to worship these holy songstresses, and came to refer to them as "Intoners". Thanks to the efforts of these Intoners, the chaos of war became a distant memory. And as a result, mankind enjoyed an age of sweet reverie, basking in the newfound light and beau—_

A sword shot through the writer's chest, interrupting his monologue as his pen clattered to the ground, blood dripping from the old man's mouth as he stared down at the blade protruding out of him, and he looked back to see that the white blade was held by a girl who barely looked older than seventeen, with white hair, equally pale skin, and glaring pink eyes.

"Y-you… murderous savage…"The man grunted, the girl ripping her sword out of him, blood staining the wall, another person hidden by the room's shadow moving aside to avoid the red fluid, the glint of a black sword and an ivory white dagger glinting in the light that hit them.

"Savage? I think you mean Intoner." The girl scoffed, and from the corner, the other figure entered the light, revealing themselves to be a young man of the same age as the girl, with silvery white hair, snowy skin, and a black eyepatch over his left eye, the visible eye being dark blue, wearing black as opposed to the girl's white, his weapon's scabbards easy to see on the back of his waist.

"Well there's one false as hell historian dead." The boy muttered, placing his sword on his shoulders.

"The history these idiots know isn't exactly right anyway… seriously, what the hell are they teaching people nowadays?" The girl muttered, going near the door.

"No damn clue Zero… and, hey, next time, can you _not_ ditch me when, y'know, we're in the middle of the Cathedral City with the entire damn army hunting us down?" The boy hummed, though his annoyance didn't come through too much.

"Nil, I'd watch your mouth." Zero snapped, and Nil shrugged.

"I'm just saying… you literally ditched me back there… and then the army showed up."

"And yet you handled it. I don't see the issue."

"I think _that's_ the problem here…"

And before anything else could be said, cannons could be heard firing, and the room was soon blasted away by an explosion, smoke filling what was left, Nil coughing as he waved it aside, though Zero was quick to leap out, and Nil let out a groan.

"Gagh… here we go again." Nil growled, rubbing his right eye and followed the Intoner out, swinging himself off of a protruding rod from the wall, landing and driving his sword through the chink of one soldier's armor, the group screaming as a second one had a dagger driven through his visor, and Nil rippled both blades free with a spray of blood, ducking multiple swords and flipping off the lip of the upper pathway, landing back down below near where Zero was standing amid a slew of bodies, covered in their blood.

"Michael." Zero spoke, and from nowhere, the soldiers above the two were blown away by a gout of crimson fire, and through the smoke and embers, a dragon landed behind the two, fire broiling at his maw as he roared, "It's time… to put an end to the Intoners."

"Then let's get down to business." Nil spun his sword, smirking as more soldiers arrived, Michael taking off as the two began fighting again.

"Your graves beckon, apostates!"

"Die you damned traitorous Intoner!"

"I might take you seriously if your voice wasn't quivering!" Zero scoffed, one slash being all she needed to kill the soldiers, Nil skidding past and cutting down several more, flicking the blood off of his swords, Zero dashing through the next set of doors.

"Well that's one issue with these guys! They're a bunch of quivering weaklings!" Nil snapped, blocking two swords and sending the soldiers flying.

"Come on, keep up Nil! You're better at fighting than this." Zero mused, sending even more mooks flying.

"Hey, not my fault I was ditched and had to fight even more than this a few streets back!" Nil snapped, shoving his latest victim to the ground.

"You're gonna keep complaining about that, aren't you?" Zero sighed.

"Yeup." Nil nodded in response, jumping back from some cannon fire.

"Michael! Take em' out!" Zero yelled, swiping her sword down from above.

"As you wish." Michael rumbled, his voice reverberating as did most dragons, sweeping down and blasting the soldiers that were above the Intoner and her partner into nothing more than ashes.

"That's one method of mass slaughter." Nil hummed, kicking a soldier off and leaving a nasty dent in the armor, casually sweeping his dagger past another's neck, the wound spraying blood all over the road.

"Why is an Intoner killing her own?!" One soldier snapped, and Michael hummed.

"Shall we tell them? They seem genuinely curious." Michael quipped.

"Why bother? They're about to die anyway!" Zero responded, a spinning slash bisecting more enemies, the walls of the steps she was on splattering with red, Nil then shooting past and grabbing another soldier, stabbing him and tossing the body to his comrades.

"The end of the world is nigh…"

"They… they told me Intoners were supposed to be peaceful!"

"What kind of crap are they teaching you people these days?!" Zero growled, cutting down the shrieking soldiers, but this time with a much harder slash as her expression grew angrier.

"Obviously some bullshit that's no doubt gonna piss you off." Nil muttered, kicking a cannon to turn it around and then striking it's trigger, blowing away a crowd of shield holding soldiers and their allies.

"Get a medic! This crazy Intoner and her servant are gonna kill us all!"

"Sure why not, I haven't killed any medics yet." Zero chuckled, already cutting apart the next group of quarry, while Nil stabbed the soldier who'd spoke out.

"Partner is the term I prefer." Nil grumbled, kicking the body off of his sword.

"You seriously let these guys hit a chord with you Nil?" Zero scoffed, amused.

"Hey, closest thing to servant I'll tolerate is Disciple… other than that, yes, they did." Nil responded, turning around and driving his knife through a soldier's helmet, twisting the blade to add to the damage, the two continuing on until running into an even larger group of soldiers, "Do they just breed these guys like rabbits or something?!"

"Get out of my way dammit!" Zero growled, sweeping her blade through, blood caking her as she cut down the soldiers in droves, Nil at her heels and picking off stragglers.

"And here she goes again…" Nil sighed, and Michael swooped back over.

"Be calm Zero, anger will only slow your sword." Michael cautioned, Zero letting out a breath.

"Look, I know that it's just… Ah, forget it!" Zero snapped, "Where the hell are my sisters?"

"I'd wager and say at the center of the city." Nil quipped, swiping his blade past a row of archers.

"Are you certain about this Zero? About slaying all the Intoners?" Michael asked, and Zero nodded as she drew her sword out of the last soldier in the swarm she and Nil had ran into before a large pair of doors.

"Of course. Why else would I be stabbing everyone?" Zero scoffed.

"Because you enjoy killing things." Nil scoffed.

"Nil, don't make me stab you as well." Zero bit, Nil chuckling.

"Couldn't help it." Nil responded, Zero sighing.

"Fine… the way they scream is pretty fun, I'll admit that." Zero muttered, kicking open the doors, which led to a large courtyard, and standing there, seemingly waiting for the two was a massive, mechanical looking beast wielding a sword just as big as it was. "Oh hell, what's this thing?"

"I bet money Three made this sucker…" Nil quipped, he and Zero dodging the massive sweep of the thing's sword.

"It's no human… and yet, not quite a beast. Likely some sort of automaton devised by the Intoners." Michael stated, Nil humming as he landed on the sword of their foe, Zero jumping and slashing at it's head.

"So something made by Three then? Knew it…" Nil muttered, cutting the joint of the automaton's arm, landing behind it and stepping back from it's stamping legs.

"Crafty little bastards…" Zero hummed, sounding _just_ a little impressed.

"Zero, don't tell me you're actually impressed by this." Nil chuckled.

"What? No, of course not. Let's just kill the thing and be done with it!" Zero snapped, jumping back from the titan, skidding back and barring her sword, Michael landing and blasting a gout of fire at the machine, only for it to lunge down and drive it's sword through the dragon's wing, and Zero went to make a move, but the dragon spoke.

"Zero, go! Defeat your sisters!" Michael demanded.

"No! You don't have the strength for this!" Zero snapped, and Nil grimaced as two more of the machines appeared.

"Hahaha." Michael scoffed, "These puppets are no match for a dragon!"

"I trust that Zero. Come on, we should be close to the center now! We need to go if we're going to do this!" Nil stated, his and Zero sighed, giving a nod.

"Fine. Just don't die on me." Zero stated, turning, "Nil, let's go."

"Right behind you!" Nil responded, the two running past the dragon, who pounced at the automatons, his jaw snapping at their limbs, the dragon looking back to the two as they ran through the closing doors before them.

"Farewell, fools…" Michael hummed, roaring as he turned back to his foes.

XXXX

"And right up there… I bet your sisters are waiting for us right on top of that hill." Nil looked over the edge of the walkway and up at the top of the mountain like hill that held the old cathedral this city was named after, and Zero simply growled as she turned to face the soldiers.

"All of you… Women, children, the elderly… It doesn't matter. If you stand in my way, you're gonna die." Zero's words were cold and harsh as she cut through the soldiers in her way, Nil keeping pace and matching her blows as he faced his own enemies, "If that's what you want, then get in line!"

"As bloodthirsty as ever…" Nil sighed, the carnage the two brought out keeping up as they rushed along the bridge, bodies being left in their wake, the ground stained crimson by the blood of the soldiers.

"Men, take your positions, stand strong!"

"Get. Out of. MY WAY!" Zero shouted, one heavy slash cutting through multiple soldiers.

"You guys have pissed her off now, sorry, but there's no mercy with this Intoner!" Nil shouted, launching a flying kick at a barricade and sending it careening down on the soldiers behind it, crushing them under it's weight, their screams being cut short before their splatter burst from below the barricade, "And you'll get none from me either!"

The two continued along the bridge, the cowering soldiers screaming in terror, and Zero was getting fed up with it as she cut down more and more.

"Shut up with the bullshit already would you?!" Zero snapped, blasting through an oncoming group of swordsman, "Move, move, move, MOVE!"

"It's Zero, Zero the betrayer!"

"Get the hell out of my way!" Zero roared, and Nil simply followed suit, though he kept a much calmer air around him as Zero cut down the soldiers in a complete rage, and once they reached the gates to the cathedral, Nil put a hand on the seething Zero's shoulder.

"Zero, come on, calm down… we're almost there." Nil murmured, Zero's breathing soon becoming lighter as she took longer breaths, "You need to stay calm when we fight them... we don't want to end up failing, not when Michael is waiting for us to end this."

"I know… sorry… I lost control." Zero replied, standing straight, Nil taking his hand off her as she looked up towards the central cathedral, "Hold on my beloved sisters. I'm coming to kill you all."

XXXXX

Once the Intoner and her partner had made their way to the top of the hill, the cathedral of the city, they were met by five others as they reached the entrance of the chapel, the five standing atop the entrance and looking down at the two. Zero's five sisters, the other Intoners who ruled the lands… the five they were here to kill.

"It's been a long time, Zero." The Intoner in the center was the first to speak, a small girl in white with short blonde hair, a mark of the Roman numeral for one on her forehead, her red eyes staring down at the two with disdain.

"Has it? I didn't notice." Zero scoffed in reply to the Intoner.

"You haven't changed a bit. You're still insane." The Intoner scoffed.

"Stop it, you're embarrassing me." Zero snickered.

"That wasn't a compliment." The Intoner replied.

"One, don't even try." Nil muttered, and One hummed as she saw the young man near Zero, finally drawing her attention to him.

"And who is this? I didn't know you had a Disciple." One hummed.

"I've been around for a while, thank you very much!" Nil snapped, and next to speak of the Intoners was the one with blue hair and eyes, a mark for two on her forehead.

"Hey, it's Zero! Hey, Zeroooo!" Two called out, and the purple haired girl to two's right, who bore a mark for three, simply laughed in a mildly disturbing manner.

"Three is as disturbing as ever…" Nil grumbled, and he let out a sigh when the Intoner marked four spoke up, "And cue the annoying one…"

"Zero, this fighting is pointless! We have to stop, we're sisters!" Three shouted, Zero just rolling her eyes.

"Oh don't be such a prude Four." The blonde one marked five chirped, "A good catfight really gets my juices flowing… and such a fine specimen of a man she has with her…"

"Oh fuck off air bags!" Nil snapped, and Zero simply chuckled in sick amusement.

"Wow, I sure am popular around here." Zero scoffed.

"Enough talk Zero, this is the end." One scoffed in return, all but her jumping down to the ground and readying their own weapons, and Nil scoffed as he brandished his swords, Zero lifting hers up.

"Oh it's the end all right." Zero stated, "Nil, let's kill them."

"I already had that in mind." Nil replied, adjusting his sword in his right hand and flipping his dagger into a reverse hold in his left, and the four Intoners shot after them, Nil blocking Five's spear while Zero swatted Two's blade to the side, Four throwing a punch that Nil stopped with his dagger after pushing Five back, Three lunging at Zero only to get kicked aside.

"Hey, Zero, guess what? Next month, I'm goin' on a trip!" Two cheerily stated, "So, actually, I really don't have time for this right now!"

"I wouldn't bother packing up for you trip Two." Zero scoffed, backing away and ending up back to back with Nil as he was shoved back by a kick from Four, though both shot back into the clashing of weapons just as fast.

"Huh? Why not? Are you gonna pack for me?" Two asked, even as she was being slashed at by Nil.

"No, I'm gonna kill you!" Zero snapped, shoving Three away and lunging at Two, who dodged the slash.

"Cheery as ever I see!" Nil growled, skidding back as he stopped Five's spear again.

"A caged bird cannot be free, even if it flees the cage." Three murmured, her scissors stuck on Nil's dagger, and the young man growled as she had an all too eerie grin on, even when Zero landed a solid kick to the head on her. "A bird without freedom doesn't have any place in the skies."

"Tch, you never did make any damn sense Three." Zero scoffed, stopping Four's gauntlet with the guard of her sword.

"She's a creepazoid, what do you expect?!" Nil snapped, ducking Two's sword and kicking up to knock her back.

"Perhaps restraint is a source of happiness itself." Three hummed.

"Would you just shut up and die already?!" Zero snapped, landing a blow to Three, who chuckled as she skidded back, and Four shot in next, Nil attacking as she threw a flurry of punches, though Four knocked him aside without so much as a care.

"Please, Sister! Reconsider your actions!" Four shouted, "The real Zero would never do anything like this! We're a family! Whatever's troubling you, I'll help however I can!"

"So you say as you try to kick our faces in!" Nil snapped.

"I bet it's because of _you!_ You've corrupted her, haven't you?!" Four snapped, Nil growling as he stopped a punch from her.

"You are just one annoying bitch y'know what?" Nil growled, and Zero smirked as she shot a stab at Four.

"You'll help huh?" Zero hummed, dodging stabs from Five, "Well, I suppose there is _one_ thing you can do for me… You can curl up and _die!"_

Four was knocked aside next, Nil skidding back as she got one last kick in on him, and Five chuckled as she attacked him again, Nil dodging the spear, parrying and growling as sparks flew off his blades when he caught it, the blonde than turning to Zero.

"Are you _really_ about to get ravaged by your own sisters Zero?" Five mused, shooting away from Nil's sword as he attacked her again.

"Whatever. Stop leering at me." Zero scoffed, Five licking her lips.

"I just _love_ a sore loser… and this one with you… where _did_ you find him? Oh I bet you have such _amazing_ times in the bedroom, don't you? It just makes me all the more curious." Five hummed in a manner that seemed _aroused,_ and Nil shuddered, his eye twitching.

"Again, _fuck off."_ Nil snapped, ducking attacks from the other three Intoners, "LAY OFF ME WILL YA?!"

"Ugh, I get the worst headaches from listening to you. And he's useful in a fight, that's why he's here." Zero responded, Five chuckling.

"I understand _that,_ but honestly, there's surely another reason. You _are_ an Intoner after all. If he can manage you, I can only _wonder_ what he's like… makes me want some myself." Five mused.

"FUCK OFF!" Nil shouted, still stuck fighting Two, Three, and Four.

"And so what if we do? None of your business to know what I do with Nil, so shove off and die already!" Zero snapped, and Five chuckled again.

"Oh my… did I just hear a hint of possessiveness in your voice right then?" Five chuckled, "Ah, such an amusing sight…"

"Just shut up already!" Nil shouted, breaking free of his engagement and lunging with both blades, Five dodging and sweeping her blade up, knocking Nil back and to Zero's side again.

"What do want from us, Zero?" One demanded, still above the fight down below.

"What do you think?" Zero replied, "There's only enough room in this world for _one_ Intoner."

"And you'd kill your own sisters for that right?" One demanded, Zero simply scoffing in reply.

"That's kind of what I'm doing, yeah." Zero replied.

"…Traitor." One growled.

"Can't really betray someone you were never on the same side as!" Nil snapped in addition, and One scoffed at the Disciple, snapping her fingers, her sisters pulling back and returning to her side, and One then stepped forward, raising a hand up.

"Gabriel!" One commanded, a magic circle forming above her, and dropping from it came a large, beast of a dragon with armor over it's face and ominous purple scales, it's jaws slowly opening as it growled, then letting out a roar at Zero and Nil as they readied their weapons again.

"Huh, well, look who decided to summon a daemon!" Zero scoffed, already dodging the stamps of Gabriel as the dragon lumbered about, Nil jumping onto the beasts back and driving his blade in, keeping a hold as Gabriel tried to shake him off. "That's no longer a dragon you've got there One. It's just a monster!"

"A nasty one at that! I don't even want to know how this happened!" Nil snapped, rolling in the air as he was thrown off, "I honestly feel sorry for the poor thing."

"Shut up!" One snapped, genuinely angry, "I'm not subject your judgment, Sister! And the Disciple has no place trying to do so as well! We Intoners swore to keep the world in balance! And now you seek all our power for yourself? It's shameful!"

"What's shameful is what you've done to this dragon! You shouldn't be assuming so much either." Nil snapped, dodging the beast's maw.

"SHUT UP!" One snapped, and Zero shook her head.

"Yak yak yak yak. Shut up and DIE ALREADY!" Zero roared, Gabriel then swiping his tail, sending both fighting him flying to the edge of the cliff, Nil and Zero shooting back in as Gabriel tried to spear them by launching glowing, sword like projectiles at them with swipes of his tail, though Nil and Zero closed the distance again, but, their attacks didn't seem to have any effect on the daemon dragon.

Eventually, Gabriel growled, sweeping Zero and Nil back again, Nil landing further back than Zero, and Gabriel then fired a blast from his maw, Zero caught in it, her effort to dodge falling short, and the blast took her left arm, and Zero struggled as she couldn't stay up, blood spurting from her wound, and Nil's eye widened.

"Zero!" Nil yelped, running back to Zero's side, snarling as he turned to face One, who was no in front of her daemon, a stoic expression on her face.

"Finish them." One ordered, Gabriel charging another blast, Zero struggling up.

"You…" Zero growled, "Will DIE!"

As Zero shouted, Michael shot up from below, his wings flaring out as he rose up despite the wounds on him.

"Zero, Nil!" Michael shouted.

"Fire!" Zero and Nil shouted, Michael firing his own blast at one, and the other four sisters rushed down near one, combining their Songs to form a barrier to stop the blast, though Michael maintained it even amid the barrier holding it back.

"How can he still have so much strength…" One murmured, looking to Nil and Zero, the Disciple now helping his Intoner to her feet, and Gabriel then released his own blast, Michael shooting down and shielding Zero and Nil with a wing, but the blast sent him flying and tumbling down the side of the cliff, and with him, the Intoner and Disciple were gone with him, but certainly not dead, leaving the other five Intoners to overlook where they had fallen.

"They fled." One scoffed, her sisters visibly exhausted by her, "You truly thought to kill the Intoners? Silly girl. Hahahahaha… Now, let us sing of the world's end."

XXXXX

And just outside the city, the wounded Michael collapsed on the plains, falling from his grasp being the now unconscious Zero and Nil, who was breathing heavily as he got up.

"Michael?!" Nil went to the dragon's side, immediately getting blood on his hands when he touched the grey beast, Michael's breathing shallow, "Hey, come on! You can't die dammit! Zero told you not to die on her!"

"Hehehe… Sorry… but… I don't think I can… keep to that." Michael weakly replied, "Nil… you… have to watch after Zero… and… you have… to find my reincarnation."

"I'm not going to need to because you're not dying on me! We'll make a Pact; I'll give up something of mine to keep you alive! Zero needs you around!" Nil shouted, Michael shaking his head.

"You… cannot… Zero… would never forgive you… if you did…" Michael stated, Nil growling as he slammed a fist on the ground, "Once I pass… you need to hide Zero… somewhere safe. Find my reincarnation… and raise him… to be strong."

"Dammit Michael… don't ask me to do that… I don't care what I have to give up, I'm not letting you die! Zero would never be able to let it go if you die!" Nil snapped, tears coming from his visible eye, and even past his eyepatch, and Michael chuckled.

"Do not… cry for me Nil… we only knew each other… for a short while, but… I am glad I got to call you and Zero friends… she's going to need you just as much, if not more, than ever… watch after her… and my reincarnation… please, promise me that." Michael asked, Nil nodding, wiping his eyes off.

"I will… I swear… and this time, when I meet your reincarnation, I'll make sure he sees things through! Once this all ends, he'll still be there, I promise you that. I'll take care of Zero to… I'll do whatever I can to make sure she sees her goals to the end… I'm her Disciple… it's my job to do that anyway." Nil declared, Michael nodding.

"Good… then… I will see you… in my next life. Farewell… for now… my friend." Michael let out one final breath with those words, his head sagging down as the breath left his body, and Nil clenched his teeth as his fingers dug into the ground.

"Goodbye… Michael…"

* * *

"And that's how this story starts. One you know, but at the same time, one that goes quite differently than it did before this." Accord then started placing pictures on the timeline sheet, and then pulling out a map of the land.

"Quite a painful way to start a story."

"I do agree with you there… these two have a life filled with pain and suffering. Even before they became the Intoner Zero and her Disciple Nil, they did not have a happy way of living…. Granted the subjects slept together so often they tended to forget such issues in their lives."

"Is that honestly a detail I needed to know?"

"No, but I am rather meticulous. It is my job to chronicle details after all, even down to some others would view as unsavory." Accord stated, then blinking, "There's no need for the glare you're giving me right now… now, let's move on from this Verse to the next one… _that_ was just the starting point for the story, and I have a lot to tell you as well. Next, we'll start one year after the battle at Cathedral City, in the Land of Seas…"

 **A/N**

 **And here is how the mess starts. And to answer a question I got, this fic will be covering the Branches from the game with… some alterations here and there, as you will see once I get to those points.**


	3. Verse 1

Nullsworn: Disciple of Zero

 **Verse 1: First Steps**

 _One Year Later…_

 _ **Land of Seas/Hideaway**_

It was shuddering that woke Nil up from his sleep, a slight shuddering that passed up his arms and pulled him out of unconsciousness, though his eyes remained shut…

"No… No, d-don't… Please… Don't leave me! Michael!"

A sharp gasp later, and Zero almost wrenched herself up, stopped by remaining in Nil's grasp, and Nil could feel her shift around so her back wasn't to him.

"Nightmares again?" Nil murmured, his eyes still closed, and he could tell Zero nodded without much thought behind it.

"What else would wake me up so suddenly?" Zero responded, Nil feeling her press in closer, and he tightened his hold on her just a bit, "I don't even know why I have those damn things… it's been an entire year… and I'm still dreaming of him…"

"Sometimes things like that happen with people… even Intoners…" Nil murmured, cracking his right eye open, and Zero scoffed.

"Whatever… come on, we need to get up…"

"Whatever you say."

A short while later, the two were out of the bed and dressed, and Zero glanced back at Nil as he finished placing his mail shirt back on, a simple thin layer to fit under the black leather of the shirt to follow, and _that_ was underneath his jacket, which fit neatly over his torso with the shoulders leaving a gap that showed a white under segment, chains jingling on the jacket as well.

"I never got why you have chains on that thing…" Zero murmured, flexing the black metal that made up her prosthetic arm, "Geez, barely used to this thing…"

"Don't really know myself honestly." Nil responded, tying his eyepatch on, slipping it into place over his blind left eye, "But then there's _your_ flower."

"Shut up." Zero muttered, a hand near the flower over her right eye… or to be more precise, _growing_ from her right eye, "This spot is way too sore sometimes…"

"Same with this spot…" Nil muttered, tapping his dead left eye with his thumb, slipping on gray gloves with his fingers left bare.

"Yeah well you only lost that eye from a wound. You don't have a damn flower coming out of it." Zero retorted, folding her arms, "This hurts like a bitch, so don't start complaining."

"I'm not, I'm not." Nil responded, picking up his weapons and slinging them to his belt.

"Hagh… I can't believe how long it took my wounds to heal though. But now it's finally time." Zero murmured, half speaking to herself and half speaking to Nil.

"We'll succeed this time. I know it." Nil stated, and Zero nodded, rubbing the side of her head, and then the two turned to the door when they heard something moving around, like something was splashing around.

"What's that racket?" Zero muttered, opening the door.

"Oh no…" Nil muttered, following Zero out, and when the two were out on the walkway of the small shack that was their hideaway, they easily found the source of the sounds: A dragon.

While the dragon was around the same size as Michael, this dragon in fact being his reincarnation, Mikhail, this one, who was a pale gray shade with small horns and over all… unimpressive for a dragon. But considering this dragon, who was joyfully rolling around in the mud and giggling with the voice of a child, was only one year old, this could be expected.

"And he's at it again I see." Nil chuckled, an amused smile on his face as he folded his arms while Zero just looked… angry… though that was her default expression really. Either way, the Intoner didn't look at all amused by Mikhail's antics, unlike her relatively kinder Disciple, tapping her foot as Mikhail sloshed around in the mud, sending it flying everywhere, at which Nil opened a hand and began to count down.

"KNOCK IT OOFFFF!" Zero shouted, Mikhail freezing with his wings raised like as if he was raising his arms in the classic "halt" position, "How many times have I told you… DON'T ROLL AROUND IN THE FUCKING MUD!"

Nil sighed as Zero stamped her foot while she shouted, Mikhail twitching in place… before proceeding to urinate into the mud, much to Zero's annoyance and Nil's exasperation, the two standing in wait… and once the dragon was done, he immediately ran off.

"I'm soooorrryyyy!" Mikhail whined, Nil rubbing the back of his head as he sighed again.

"Come on Zero, he's only a year old… can't you be a bit nicer to him?" Nil muttered, flinching after Zero punched his shoulder, "Ow..."

"Don't lecture me about mistreating him when you do nothing but dote on him. Honestly..." Zero huffed, stalking down the wooden walkway, Nil rubbing his shoulder as he followed.

"I'm just saying." Nil grumbled, Zero glancing back at him, then rolling her eye and sighing.

"It won't… it won't happen again." Mikhail murmured, looking back at the Intoner and Disciple.

"Mikhail it's fine! Zero is just being crabb-OW!" Nil was interrupted when Zero punched his arm again, "THAT IS MY SWORD ARM!"

"Then shut up, and maybe I won't break it with the next one." Zero retorted, Mikhail snickering in amusement as they went over the hill in the small gorge that had been their home for the past year.

"Hey, you're really okay Zero? You're not hurt anymore?" Mikhail asked, Zero nodding.

"Well, it took a year, but yeah, I'm good. Good thing for me Nil was around to make things easier." Zero stated, the group coming to the treeline on the gorge.

"All I did was help patch you up and make your prosthetic… it wasn't much." Nil replied, Zero giving him a look that outright said both knew better and were just keeping quiet about it around Mikhail.

"Shouldn't you rest some more though?" Mikhail inquired as he continued ahead to the nearby natural wall of the gorge.

"And watch you roll around in shit all day? No thanks." Zero scoffed.

"That wasn't the only thing you did..." Nil offhandedly murmured, Zero shooting a glare at him again.

"Your big fight last year was pretty hard, huh?" Mikhail asked, Zero and Nil nodding as they stopped at the small pond Mikhail was in, the dragon cleaning the mud off of himself.

"Yep." Zero stated.

"Like you would not believe." Nil added, "Doesn't help when you get ditched right at the start."

"Are you still hanging onto that?!" Zero sighed, Nil nodding.

"Yeeup."

"Did Michael say he was scared or anything?" Mikhail asked, continuing the string of quesitons, Zero laughing bitterly.

"Are you kidding?!" Zero scoffed, "Hmm, I guess you didn't retain any of his memories, huh?"

"Nope. Still, I can't believe he wasn't scared!" Mikhail chuckled, shaking off the water on him, "That's great, just great! I'm gonna try to be just like him!"

"That's a good goal, right Zero?" Nil chuckled, jabbing Zero with his elbow, the Intoner just glaring at him as they continued along the pathway.

"Yeah, whatever." Zero muttered, and as the trio came out of the gorge, Mikhail took off, sailing out over the open seas in front of them.

"So, Zero, what'd you call Michael?" Mikhail inquired, Nil glancing at Zero as she sighed.

"Uh, 'Michael'?" Zero muttered, a hand on her hip as she and Nil got on a small ridge.

"So why don't you call me 'Mikhail' huh?" Mikhail prodded further, Nil clicking his tongue, "You know, instead of 'dummy' or 'hey, you' or… whatever…"

"He has a point Zero." Nil quipped, letting out a hiss after Zero jabbed him with her left arm… the metal prosthetic. "Owwwwww….."

"Oh stop complaining you've suffered worse!" Zero snapped, her hands on her hips as Nil rubbed his arm.

"Yeah but I won't be much use if you keep whacking my sword arm like that! I'm right handed dammit!" Nil retorted, Zero scoffing as she kept moving forward.

"You're ambidextrous, quit flubbing. I'd know. Now, back on topic." Zero murmured, looking at Mikhail, Nil giving a look that said he caught the comment, "You need to be a full-fledged dragon before I use your name. Now, you see that battleship?" Zero then pointed off over the cliff to a ship sitting in the bay before the group, Mikhail nodding as he swooped by. "Torch it."

"Huh? Why? Can't we just talk to them instead?" Mikhail asked Zero rolling her eye at the thought.

"Are you kidding? That'd be too much effort." Zero scoffed.

"That and those guys are Five's soldiers… they're liable to try and kill all three of us on sight… probably because Five promised to bust their pelvises if they did as she said." Nil chimed in, Zero suppressing the urge to chuckle in amusement as they got to a better point to view the ship from, Zero pointing at the ship, which was billowing smoke.

"You take out the ship from the air. Nil and me will deal with the trash on the ground." Zero ordered, Mikhail nodding and gliding off.

"Okay." Mikhail responded, Nil rolling his arms before drawing his swords as Zero drew her own weapons.

"Time to get to work again." Nil chuckled, spinning his main blade as the gate before him and Zero opened the two already spotting the soldiers on the other side.

"All right, I'm going after the ship. Be careful, Zero, Nil!" Mikhail's voice came through thanks to the telepathic connection between the dragon and the two on the ground, Zero scoffing in response as she and Nil dove into the fighting with weapons glaring, the white and black blades becoming smeared in blood once again for the first time in a year.

"Worry about yourself dummy. And stay focused!" Zero ordered, kicking a soldier off into the wall of the gorge, Nil leaping out from a group that tried to rush him.

"We'll be fine Mikhail. Small fry like these guys are nothing but bugs." Nil stated, landing while also impaling two soldiers on his sword, breaking right through their plate armor with the stab, Zero slashing the remaining soldier of the squad.

"So this… is the power of an Intoner…" The dying soldier muttered before his form collapsed.

"Anyone in my way's gonna lose a head!" Zero declared, Nil shooting ahead and dashing past the next squad of soldiers, each of them dropping like sacks, "Watch it dummy, we're on Five's turf now!"

"You got it." Mikhail responded, the dragon flying past as another group arrived.

"Just keep up alright, that's all ya' need to do." Nil stated, flipping over a knight and kicking him right onto Zero's sword.

"Or else you'll end up dead… by me personally." Zero warned, one massive swing sending the remaining soldiers charging at the two over the cliff, Nil letting out a breath as the sound of metal breaking to the sound of the solders falling onto the spiky rocks below sounded.

" _That_ one had to hurt." Nil whistled, he and Zero continuing to scythe their way through the soldiers trying to rush them along the seaside cliffs, and as typical for them, their banter was anything _but_ regarding the ongoing slaughter.

"Hey, so you Intoners are all sisters, right?" Mikhail inquired, Zero nodding amid the spurts of blood her sword was causing, Nil currently dealing with some archers further ahead.

"More or less." Zero answered giving something of a shrug amid her sword swings.

"Man, I'm jealous. I don't have any brothers or sisters." Mikhail hummed, "What about you Nil? Do you have any siblings?"

"Nope, and kinda glad I don't." Nil responded, jumping back to the ground from having been higher up, matching pace with Zero again.

"Having no siblings beats having a bunch you need to kill." Zero added, Mikhail making an affirming hum in response.

"Uh, yeah, I guess…" Mikhail hummed, flitting by the view of the Intoner and Disciple, "Y'know Zero, I don't think you should kill your sisters?"

"Oh yeah?" Zero responed, Nil rolling his visible eye as they pushed further into the ravine, the beachhead leading to the ocean ruins coming into view.

"Yeah! If there's a problem, you should just talk it out." Mikhail stated, Zero giving Nil a "Is he serious?" look, "I mean, that's the whole reason people have voices right?"

"Talking wouldn't do any good Mikhail… that's the sad truth behind Zero and her sisters." Nil stated, Zero nodding firmly to the comment.

"Exactly. Not use in this voice trying to be all nice… they wouldn't listen." Zero bitterly added, kicking a few soldiers off of the cliff to the churning waters below as Mikhail flew by again.

"Is there no way you and your sisters can get along? No way at all?" Mikhail asked, only getting a small, curt answer.

"No."

"What if they say you're sorry… or bring you cake?"

"…No."

"Awwww…."

"Better to just accept it Mikhail… we don't really have a choice in the matter anyway." Nil stated, a look of annoying passing on his face as he caught an arrow from an archer, flicking it around and throwing it like a javelin back at the soldier who'd fired it, the arrowhead piercing through the soldier's mask.

"I still don't get why you and Zero are doing this though." Mikhail added, Zero sighing as she and Nil wrapped up the guards at the gate leading down to the beachhead.

"Look, I want to be the only Intoner in the world." Zero replied, "And that means I have to kill the others. Clear enough for you?"

"No. Not really." Mikhail answered, "And it still leaves the question why Nil is doing this to, he's so nice!"

"I'm Zero's Disciple. Where she goes, I go. Her goals are my goals… and, trust me Mikhail, there's more to this than you think." Nil gave his own answer, the young dragon letting out a long hum again.

"I don't get it… I just don't get it." Mikhail answered, flying off to deal with another battleship, Zero looking at Nil.

"You know we can't tell him the truth." Zero stated, Nil nodding.

"Yeah… you're the one who beat it into my head." Nil stated, the gate then slamming shut behind the two, both Intoner and Disciple letting out long, annoyed groans as they turned to face the new gaggle of soldiers rushing from the other end to face them, _more_ arriving from landing boats at the shore.

"Ugghhh, screw this! Hey, you! Get your tail over here!" Zero shouted, Mikhail gliding over, "Roast em!"

"Okay…" Mikhail responded, doing as ordered and roasting the newly arrived soldiers to nothing more than armored crisps, Zero letting out a huff as she and Nil moved through the smoldering wreckage as Mikhail landed, "I'm here if you two ever need me!"

"Damn right you are." Zero stated, looking for a way to get the other gate open that _wouldn't_ involve just having Mikhail blast it apart, "And when you _do_ help, you better not chicken out on me. That means no running away like a crybaby. And no rolling around in your own filth."

"Oh all right." Mikhail dejectedly sighed, Nil chuckling as he also happened to find the level to open the gate.

"I _would_ make a mom joke about here, but I see it's not needed." Nil snickered, Zero shooting him a _mildly_ entertain look as the gates opened, the girl putting a hand on her hips as the other placed her sword across her shoulders, "And _hey!_ Would ya' look at that, these fucks left some good camping supplies! We're gonna need those. Mikhail, sit still for a minute, you're gonna have to carry the bags alright?"

"Fine by me! Carrying things like this is easy!" Mikhail chuckled, Zero shaking her head as she looked out to the horizon, where they could _just_ see their target location.

"Alright, Five should be at the Shrine of Seas just up there… probably the first time the tramps even seen a shrine." Zero scoffed, being met by Nil's own dry laughter.

"Oh I'm sure she has! Probably a sex shrine dedicated to how much of a whore she is!" Nil quipped, Zero biting her lip as a sound that indicated she was resisting laughter came out of her throat, a detail Nil did _not_ miss, "Caught that! You almost laughed!"

"N-No I didn't." Zero muttered, Nil snickering, stepping back when Zero swung at him.

"Is Five anything like you Zero?" Mikhail innocently asked.

" _No."_ Both Zero and Nil answered with utter _disgust_ dripping from their tongues, which seemingly went unnoticed by the naïve dragon.

"I'm gonna talk to her. Maybe then you won't have to fight!" Mikhail stated, Zero giving a firm look to the Dragon, sighing and moving on.

"Whatever."

"'Cause of she's nothing like you, maybe she'll actually listen to me!" Mikhail state, Nil shaking his head.

"Sorry Mikhail, that's not gonna do ya' any good… just because she's not like Zero doesn't mean Five'll listen… I've met her, I _know."_ Nil answered, looking across the other way, tapping Zero on the shoulder, "Uh… Zero, was there always a shop here?"

"What?" Zero muttered, turning around and raising a brow when she saw the same shop Nil was looking at, the two going over to the currently merchant-less but not empty shop, a note on the table, "What's this?"

"Dear Customers: Welcome to the weapon shop." Nil read, Zero raising a brow, "Unfortunately the owner is away, but we're still conducting business through the mail…"

"Mail order weapons? The heck kind shop is this?" Zero scoffed, Mikhail curious meandering over as Nil read the rest of the note.

"Please place your orders via the post-mission Battle preparation menu, and we'll get the new gear out to you as soon as possible. Sincerely, Accord… the fuck?" Nil murmured, Zero shrugging.

"Eh, let's keep it in mind. Gotta do something with all the gold we're gonna be looting. Not like we _need_ new weapons though." Zero pointed out, Nil shrugging and turning to follow, stopping when he felt some kind of presence in the air, turning around, and beholden to him now, stood a figure dressed in a concealing black coat, it's hood only displaying one detail… a white mask with a black, flower pattern over where the left eyehole _would_ have been.

"What the hell? Zero, do you see someone?" Nil asked, Zero turning along with Mikhail.

"What person?" Zero asked, Nil blinking, his eye going wide when he saw that the masked individual was no longer there, Zero shaking her head, "What? Mikhail's flames bake your brain a bit?"

"No! I just… I swear someone was there." Nil muttered, shaking his head, "Doesn't matter…"

"Good. Now let's get moving! The Shrine isn't too far away!" Zero declared, already moving up the hill past the gate.

"Right behind you." Nil responded, Mikhail chuckling.

"Roger that!"

* * *

"Wait wait wait, what?"

"What's the problem? I know I didn't miss anything." Accordo responded, the individual shaking their head. "Did I? Everything regarding this Branch should be set out though…"

"Not that! The shop thing! What was that about some "after battle screen"? That feels oddly weird! To say, like I shouldn't be aware of what that is. And isn't that _this_ shop?!"

"Oh _that!_ Well, it's nothing of real importance." Accord responded, the individual clearly displeased with the answer they had been given.

"Whatever…"

"Now, please do not interrupt the story, else I may lose my place." Accord added, "Now, let us continue from… ah, here!"

"Oh boy… what's in store this time?"

 **A/N**

 **I'm gonna make it a point to try and have that end of chapter segment… makes things fun. And time to carry on with things next chapter! Might as well just get on with it and get to the meat of this part of things. Till' next time!**


	4. Verse 2

Disciple of Zero

 **Verse 2: To the Shrine**

"If I didn't have a dead eye this would be going _so_ much better."

Nil gave a sigh as he stared at the hook for the fishing rod he'd pilfered from the soldier's supplies from the last fight, shrugging and casting the line back out with fresh bait, the soft _plip_ of the hook hitting the water sounding a short ways off from the shore of the inlet, the smoking remains of the boats, added by the smell of charbroiled metal and flesh not really doing much to bother Nil at the time.

" _Please_ tell me something is biting, I'm starving."

"Not yet…" Nil muttered, glancing over as Zero sat down beside him, watching the line carefully. "I think the fish around here got scared off when Mikhail was blasting the shit out of those boats."

"Please, they'd have come back by now. We've been resting for a while anyway." Zero stated, one of her legs bouncing, Nil chuckling.

"Yet I can tell you're eager to get a move on already." Nil mused, twitching the line in the hopes of _something_ biting, "Ugh, come on, I normally have better luck than this."

Zero didn't give a verbal answer, but the rumble of her stomach clued the Disciple in on the tone and her crabby expression as her right fingers rolled on the sand, a pervading silence following as only the lapping of the waves hitting the shore provided noise.

…

…

…

"Nothing. All those explosions definitely scared the fish off." Nil sighed, reeling the line back in, Zero giving a pouting sigh.

"Great, so now I'm hungry _and_ pissed off. Well, whatever." Zero muttered, staring at Nil's back as he shoved the rod back into the pack he had with him, already starting to creep over towards him.

"I know what you're thinking Zero, and the answer is no." Nil spouted, not even looking around.

"I have no idea what you mean." Zero shot to her feet, Nil chuckling.

"Hehehehe… please, I've been stuck with you for years Zero. I know damn well how you get when you're not on an adrenaline high." Nil hummed, hefting the pack over his shoulder, "Besides, if we _did,_ you wouldn't have any pent up anger to vent on your sister once we find her."

"Oh come on, I'd just get back into the groove anyway!" Zero snapped, Nil dodging the punch she threw at him, "Don't dodge!"

"Haha! Not today Zero." Nil scoffed, dodging another punch from the Intoner and catching the next one, "How about this? We kill Five, _then_ I'll take care of it, okay? I won't complain and we can go at it all night. Deal?"

"Ugh, fine." Zero huffed, heading back down to the camp, then halting, "That just have me an idea actually…"

"Oh crap…" Nil sighed, Zero chuckling to herself.

"Once we kill the bitch, we add insult to injury by engaging in some old-fashioned debauchery in her room. Hah! That skank'll have all of this coming to her!" Zero declared, Nil sighing and rolling his eye.

"I'd rather _not_ do it in that woman's room, but, whatever, you won't go back on it now." Nil muttered, Zero chuckling.

"Hey! Dragon, get your ass up, we're getting on with this!" Zero shouted, making her point by punching Mikhail on the head, the young dragon yelping as he shot up, Nil stamping out what was left of the campfire.

"Ahh! I'm up, I'm up!" Mikhail screeched, Zero rolling her eyes as she turned, grabbing her sword from nearby and hefting it over her shoulders.

"Let's get going. The shrine city Five is at should be nearby. Strange you can't see it yet, it's supposed to be pretty big." Nil clambered up onto the rocks and looked out further down the coastline, Zero giving a hum as she joined him on the perch. "That is strange… then again there is some fog rolling in." Zero added, Nil shrugging, "Better not be some cheap tactic like being hidden _under_ the water or something."

"I'll bet money on it." Nil quipped, Mikhail looking between the Disciple and Intoner, chuckling.

"Well, enough chatting around, let's go! There's gonna be a bunch of soldiers showing up soon and I'm in the mood for some murder." Zero rolled her right shoulder as she spoke, pointing her sword forward, "Let's go and kill an Intoner."

"So… what happens once you kill all your sisters?" Mikhail posed the question as the Intoner and Disciple duo headed up the path edging closer to the coastline, Zero giving a snicker to it, Nil already seeing the coming remark.

"I eat 'em."

"Aaaaahhh!"

"She's messing with you Mikhail."

"Oh, haha, I totally believed you!" Mikhail laughed as he realized the joke, though in the meantime of course such things were being said as Nil and Zero began cutting their way through the soldiers that began charging down the road at them.

"Once I kill them, I can exploit their powers." Zero said, Mikhail making a humming noise in response.

"So, you're going to steal their Intoner magic and stuff?"

"Think of it like this…" Nil paused for a moment as he ducked a slash from a soldier, driving his dagger in between the gap in the armor to nail the soldier straight in the heart, "When Zero kills another Intoner, then their power goes to her, as she's the nearest Intoner for that power to enter."

"In short terms, that." Zero clarified, Nil shaking his head, the two reaching yet another gateway leading onto yet another soldier infested beach.

"What, does Five just place all her soldiers on these beaches or what?" Nil scoffed in annoyance as he side stepped a jab from a spear, metal screaming as he drove his sword through the armor plating, Zero kicking another soldier into those behind.

"Wow, look at them! They're everywhere!"

"They're like ants to you, just crush 'em." Zero ever so casually suggested, Mikael making an unnerved sound as he flew by overhead, the Intoner and Disciple using the distraction of the soldiers' shock to quickly cut the lot down.

"That's really mean Zero." Mikhail said, Nil shrugging to add to it, then ducking another spear and grabbing the shaft, flinging the soldier off and impaling him on his own weapon, driving the spear through the armor and deep into the sand before spinning around and jumping over another soldier, Zero running the enemy through, and both let out annoyed groans when two boats crashed onto the shore.

"You'd think they'd stop spreading their numbers so thin." Nil caught an arrow launched from an archer's bow from a distance, seeing the enemy flinch from the lightning fast reaction, Nil smirking as he snapped the arrow in his hand merely by tightening his grip on it.

"Hey, the more we kill now, the less we have to deal with when we find Five!" Zero said, Nil nodding in agreement, the effortless attacks from the two continuing into the next small cape, the duo cutting their way to a cliffside outlet, Nil whispering as they jumped onto the wooden walkway.

"Well, Five at least has good taste in scenery… among other things."

"The water here is so pretty too!"

"Will you two quit looking at the scenery and get back to the fighting?!"

"Yeah yeah, back to the slaughter it is."

"Fiiine."

Zero rolled her eyes at Nil and Mikhail's replies taking the lead forward, and as they continued, amid cutting throats of slashing chests open, Nil took the occasional moment to listen into the chatter going around the soldiers they were encountering, and he merely sighed as he listened to the scream from the last one he shoved off the cliff, leaning on his knees as he watched the man crash into the water.

"Let's narrow down the types we've killed so far… there's some who've been terrified for their life, that's normal, reckless idiots who _think_ they can win… and then the nuts who want an audience with their Intoner… knowing Five, how much you wanna bet she's "treated" some of these poor saps?"

Zero just made a huffing sound as the approached a large barricade constructed in between the gap leading past the gorge, Nil approaching and looking around the sides with a far more analytical look on his face.

"Don't know and do not care, she'll be dead soon anyway." Zero punctuated her point by kicking the barricade, Nil sighing when it didn't budge and only irritated the girl even more, leading to more pointless blunt trauma to the metal barrier, "Just. Fucking. Fall!"

"Y'know that scaffolding running up along here seems like it'd be a _much_ better way to get past this then trying to kick this _giant_ metal shield down like an idiot." Nil's tone was remarkably dry as he gestured with his arms to the shoddy wooden construction slapped onto the rocks, likely added with the barrier in a hurried attempt to block him and Zero once news had reached the back lines, and Zero cleared her throat as she lowered her leg, Nil bearing a smirk.

"I-I saw that. I was just trying to make a more direct path. I hate tedious things like this."

"Hey at least be glad you dented the metal. But _damn_ they wedged this thing in."

"Shut up and start climbing."

Nil snickered as he pulled himself up onto the edge leading onto the scaffolding , Zero just jumping the distance to get ahead of him again, Nil then stepping forward and vaulting off of his hands, Zero rolling her eyes with a chuckle as he flipped before landing on the other side of the barricade, the eyepatch wearing teen chuckling as he looked back up at Zero.

"Show off."

"Ha, like that matters much to you." Nil snickered, Zero dropping down beside him, Mikhail landing on the ledge above the two.

"So, Zero, what kind of sister _is_ Five?" At Mikhail's question, Nil gave a small smirk, already expecting something.

"The slutty kind." Was the blunt reply given by Zero.

"What's "slutty" mean?"

"It means all she thinks about is dirty stuff."

"Oh. So she's just like you?"

"Pff… HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Nil's sudden outburst of laughter at Mikhail's statement was quickly met with Zero slamming her gauntlet into his stomach as she let out an angry growl, but even as he buckled over Nil was still laughing through his teeth.

"Well, he's not exactly _wrong!"_ Nil dodged the next punch Zero threw at him even amid the bit of wheezing coming from him.

"Alright then wise guy, you take point until we get to the shrine." Zero shoved her foot onto Nil's back to shove him forward, "I am so paying you back for that jab tonight."

"Oh please, I know damn well you like my sarcasm. You just hate how I so easily direct it at you."

"Keep it up and I'll cut it off when you're sleeping!"

"No you won't. You'd lose your best way to relax then."

"Just get your ass onto the front and scout out that house!"

"Like we even _need_ to guess what we're gonna find in there."

Nil rolled his eye as he moved forward, Zero giving him an indignant look, and almos as soon as Nil walked out into the open area the house was in, sword wielding soldiers began filing out.

"Oh woulda look at that!"

"Stop talking and start killing!"

After the usual routine, and once the soldiers were nothing but blood dripping smears on the ground, Zero took a moment to look the house over, a hand on her chin.

"Looks like people used to live here at some point."

"No shit. It's a house. Near the coast. I bet it was some rich nobles beach home or, more likely case, a fisherman's hamlet." Nil flatly delivered, Zero again giving him a look for the sarcastic remark.

"Must be nice living near the sea. Think of all the yummy fish!" Mikhail let out a pleasant chuckle as he landed in the clearing, Nil shrugging, the party continuing forward from there to the next shore where they could see fishing boats, white sand, and open water.

But, no shrine.

"What the hell, where's the shrine?" Zero looked around the inlet in bewilderment, reaching into Mikhail's saddlebags and whipping out the map, "The shit?! The map says it's _right here,_ so where is the damn thing?! Dammit… I think we've been had."

"Uh… Zero?"

"But that doesn't make sense! We've seen the damn thing here, and you said the villagers nearby always talked about it…"

"Zero."

"So why isn't it here?"

"Hey, Zero, sweetie, I _think_ we have something more immediate to be worried about right now!"

"What have I told you about the stupid pet names?!" Zero turned around and shoved the map back into the bag as she turned to look at Nil, the Disciple shooting his hand off to point near the shore, Zero looking in the direction he was pointing as she saw what had startled him lurching out of the water.

Taller than several men stacked on top of each other with sickly pale green skin and bearing rusted, worn armor, it's gross blue tongue lolling from its mouth, a massive club being dragged behind the thing as it lurched out from the archway jutting from the water.

"What the hell is that?" Zero said, Nil clicking his tongue.

"A Gigas… those things live in the mountains, so I don't know why the fuck one of them is here at the sea." Nil said, Zero already drawing her sword.

"Also, another strike for using that pet name."

"How the hell else was I gonna get your attention?!"

"And _another_ strike for that reply. With what you earned from earlier, I'll 'punish' you after we deal with this thing."

"Hey, don't threaten me with a good time."

"Just be careful you two, this guy is strong, really, super strong!" Mikhail said, Zero scoffing as Nil readied his blades.

"Well, whatever this thing is, if it gets in my way, it's going down!" Zero and Nil shot to the side when the Gigas brought its club down to try and smash them into paste, Mikhail lifting back into the sky and beginning to circle the inlet.

"Well it _is_ trying to kill us after all!" Nil added, jabbing his weapons into it's leg, spurts of red fluid following the ripping out of the blades along with the beasts roar, Zero taking the chance from the Gigas being distracted by it's now torn open leg to jump up and rake her sword across it's face, the beast turning to her when she landed.

"Heh, what're you looking at shithead?!" Zero taunted, the Gigas swinging at her again, but it's now wounded eye from Zero's cut threw off its aim, causing the club to miss horribly, to Zero's amisement as she moved under the beast and cut its other leg, Nil clambering onto it's back and driving the butt of his main sword's hilt down onto one of the spikes on the creatures back, the Gigas lurching as the spike was driven in further and out through it's shoulder with a spray of red, Nil being thrown off and skidding to a stop in the sand.

"Well, guess those are there for a reason… so, guess is, it's been used as a Guard." Nil noted, Zero chuckling when the monster started flailing now that it's sight was cut in half.

"What is it with big guys and always being slow and stupid?" Zero hummed, Mikhail making an offended sound.

"Hey! I'm a big guy!"

"Sloooow and stupid!"

"You don't have to say it twice!"

"Zero, lay off the kid." Nil shook his head as he gave a sigh, then shooting to the side when the Gigas' club came rather close, "It's half blind, so let's kill it already!"

"Heh, kinda like you." Zero mused, already using the other spikes on the Gigas' back to clamber up, holding on when it began flailing wilidly, Nil letting out a loud whistle, Mikhail swooping down from his perch, Nil jumping onto the saddle mounted on the dragon's back.

"Yeah except I actually know how to fight with a blindside! That thing doesn't!" Nil shouted above the air whipping around him, nodding once he had the idea, "Zero, get off that thing!"

"WHAT?! I'm about to stab it's face in!"

"Gigas' don't go down that easy, trust me! Mikhail, we're roasting that thing first!"

Mikhail nodded to Nil's idea, Zero giving a grumble but jumping off of the Gigas anyway, the now confused beast looking around, only to be greeted to Mikhail's roar as the dragon descended, flames flickering from the young dragon's jaw before the gout of fire was released, a ball of flame engulfing the Gigas, leaving it scorched thouroughly and with armor fused to it's skin.

"Okay, now what?" Zero shouted, getting her answer when Nil stood on the saddle, jumping off, to the surprise of both Mikhail and Zero, dropping through the air with his sword drawn, a small burst of white light coming from behind him, Nil using the momentum from the drop to drive his sword into the Gigas right down to it's hilt, the beast falling back, still gurgling with life as it's arm reached up, Nil twisting his sword around, the Gigas' arm twitching for a moment before going stiff and falling flat.

"There, it's dead." Nil stood up and yanked his sword free of the dead beasts skull, using his sleeve to wipe off the blood on his face, then chuckling as he stepped down onto the sand, "Whaddya think? Not so bad for an impromptu plan-UGH!"

Nil lurched again when he was met by a metal fist to his stomach, still standing but giving Zero a "why?" expression when he looked up to see her glaring at hi.

" _That_ is for being a reckless idiot!"

"You pull crazy stunts like that all the time!"

"Because I can survive them if I mess up. You can't!"

"Pah, I'm not that weak!"

"Whatever." Zero huffed, slamming her sword into it's sheathe, then turning back to Nil, now facing away from the water. "But, if Five thinks that'll be enough to stop us, well, she's an even bigger idiot. Now come on, we need to look for that shrine, but _first…"_ Zero made a point to grab Nil by his jacket's collar, pulling him closer, "We're going back to that house over there to make due on your punishme-"

Zero was cut off when the noise of water being sent all over the place sounded, Nil also pointing off behind her, Mikhail's eyes widening as he saw it as well. Rising from the sea itself was what was left of an old water built town, enough intact to be used as an initial gateway or even encampment to the intact, untouched shrine now visible from a short distance off, the circular structure the exact location the party was searching for.

"Hey look, you were right, it _was_ hidden under the water!" Nil hummed, Zero clicking her tongue as she let him go, the teen straightening himself out and fixing his jacket, that notable smirk on his face again, "So, which do ya' want first Zero? To keep going forward and kill your sister _now,_ or do what you suggested and go to that beach house to make do on whatever happens when I get enough strikes?"

 _POW!_

Another punch to the gut was the answer Nil got, Zero storming off onto the risen walkway with a far angrier look on her face than was usual for her, Nil hunched over and sucking in his breath, Mikhail leaning in close.

"Nil, you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Probably deserved that one in all honesty." Nil hissed, standing straight pretty quickly though, "Not like Zero ever hits me hard enough where I can't walk it off… I'm good."

"Ah, that's good to know. Uh… hey, what _did_ Zero want to go back to that house to do anyway?"

"Uhhhh… well…" Nil murmured, a hand meeting his face, "How the heck do I explain this to a kid?"

"ARE YOU TWO COMING OR NOT?!"

"Yeah yeah, don't get your panties in a wad!" Nil shoved a hand into his pockets, gesturing for Mikhail to follow as he stepped off, the dragon taking a moment more before following after the Intoner himself. "Well, we're here… time to kill an Intoner."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **I wish this hadn't taken so dang long to get out, but, it's here now, and I intend to continue. Heck, I actually own Drakengard 3 myself now so even better! And I believe this has confirmed for you that YES, Nil and Zero do indeed spend… intimate time together. Lots of it. Hehehehe. Well, see ya' next time!**


	5. Verse 3

Disciple of Zero

 **Verse 3: Intoner: Five**

"I get the shrine thing, the place _is_ intact, but I question the "based in the ruins of a city" thing… you'd think the greediest bitch of the lot would pick a better place to field her elite guard."

Nil made a humming murmur as he kicked one of the walls, the old bricks falling in on themselves, Nil leaning into the gap that was made as musty air fell out, Zero sighing and yanking him back on the path leading into the main part of the ruins.

"Does it look like I give a shit?" Zero said, Nil shaking his head.

"Nope. Mikhail, keep out of sight of the soldiers for now, we don't know what kind of defenses they have here." Nil's calm order got a nod from Mikhail, the dragon lifting into the air with a few flaps of his wings.

"I'll dive in whenever you two need me, so be careful!"

"Trust me Mikhail, that's the least of the things we need to do." Nil sent off Mikhail with a wave, getting to a trot to catch up with Zero as she stepped out into the open path leading to the city center, already cutting her way through the charging soldiers, "Well, aren't you eager?"

"We're right on Five's doorstep. I want to get this shit over with!" Zero growled, slamming her latest victim into the worn stone for good measure, Nil wincing a bit as he heard the metal of the man's armor scream and break from the blow.

"Oh yeah, she's pissed."

"Are you okay Zero?" Mikhail questioned, Zero just giving a growl.

"Yeah, I'm fine. These soldier maggots just piss me off is all."

"Maggots? Hey, do you like maggots Zero?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course not." Zero's response came as she kicked the door leading into the actual central part of the shrine city open, Nil rolling his eye(s) in amusement as he followed.

"Oh. I thought maybe you had some. I'm kinda hungry." Mikhail said, Nil giving a snicker.

"There should be plenty of fish swarming these waters if they didn't get scared off by all the fighting. Nab some of those while you're here. I'm sure those soldiers will get scared shitless at seeing a dragon diving in and out of the water." Nil said, Zero giving him a look, "What?"

"Stop encouraging him to goof off!" Zero snapped, Nil just shrugging, earning a sigh from the Intoner, "And you, dummy, don't eat maggots!"

"I think dragons can eat a lot of things other people just can't or won't." Nil noted, skipping back from an incoming sword, stamping on it to stop the soldier dead, the man screaming in terror before Nil plunged his dagger through the visor of his helmet, kicking the body off into the water, glancing at the other soldiers, who were seeming to start to understand they were horribly out matched by the Intoner and Disciple as they stopped their charge.

"Don't think we're letting you go!" Zero, on the other hand, wasn't one for mercy as she shot forward and cut down the retreating soldiers with swift moves, looking at Nil as he gave a click of his tongue, "You know damn well we can't be showing mercy to these guys Nil."

"Old habits die hard. Back in my mercenary days the point was to try _not_ to die or kill everyone else." Nil stated, bouncing his sword on his shoulder, hopping down onto the next path leading further in, "Mikhail, how're you holding up?"

"I'm getting pretty tired." Mikhail responded, Zero grumbling.

"Stop whining." Zero's muttering got another sigh from Nil.

"Hey, flying is pretty hard, okay?"

"Stop complaining!"

"I mean… uh… it's fun! So fun! Whee!"

"You can stop lying too."

"Zero, I think he's had enough." Nil cautioned, Zero just rolling her gaze at him, Nil catching an arrow from the air again, "Hmm… I think I'll be taking one of those bows!"

Nil shot forward towards the two archers at the top of the path, both screaming at the sudden speed they'd been met with, both screaming before blades cut through their chests, Nil catching one of the bows that had flung up into the air during the hits, testing it's drawstring as Zero walked by.

"Hmm… not bad, though I'm not sure it'll hold up that long for me." Nil pulled on the string as a test, shrugging and grabbing whatever arrows were left on the bodies, then looking over when he heard Zero give an audible growl of annoyance, going to her side to see that the way over had a few gaps between the platforms of the structure, "Who the _hell_ designed this place?"

"I don't know but whoever they are needs their license revoked!" Zero hopped across the gaps either way, Nil following with his own jumps, the other side only leading to a drop down, both Intoner and Disciple looking annoyed at the bizarre choice in design, "Seriously, what the hell?"

"Don't know." Nil said, "I'll snipe from up here for a bit, so just… do your thing."

"What, afraid of getting a little bloody?" Zero teased, Nil giving her a flat stare.

"Yes, I'm scared of blood, oh please don't make me fight down there, it's so horrible!" Nil's tone was utterly dry and without amusement, Zero giving an equally flat look at the sarcasm, Nil just knocking an arrow and taking aim at a soldier. "If you say "strike", I'm dumping you in the ocean."

"You need to put a lid on that sarcasm."

"Not happening." Nil loosed the arrow with that, Zero showing a bit of surprise as he nailed one of the soldiers in the plaza below dead on in the head _through_ the visor, the Disicple giving a smirk.

"Cocky bastard." Zero looked amused despite the phrase, jumping down and getting to the assault without a second to spare.

"DIEE!" One soldier shouted, but not that he lasted long enough to do much before an arrow found it's way through his armor, Zero taking the moment of stunned shock to run the soldier through.

"That's my line shit face!"

"You're mine demon! Mine!"

"Shouldn't you be suckling on mommy's teat right about now?" Zero kicked off the offending soldier with a scoff, Nil leaping down from his sniping perch and driving his sword down through the soldier, "Oh, bored already?"

"String snapped." Nil said, shooting up and spinning, his dagger piercing armor with a back handed strike, "I'd say we got maybe… nine more."

"Uh, what is _up_ with these places and always having these small groups huh?!" Zero snapped, cutting down two more soldiers in her annoyed swipe.

"Seven. And you're nuts if you consider about 15 guys a "small" group." Nil noted, two more soldiers going down to his blades, "Five."

"You two aren't coming anywhere near Lady Five!" One of the remaining soldiers yelled, Zero scoffing again.

""Lady Five!" "Lady Five!"… Pathetic." Zero growled, "Just die would you?!"

"And that's 3 left." Nil winced a bit when Zero's sword went through the soldier who'd spoke and his unfortunate ally, all that was left being 3 archers on the boat that had come in, Zero leaping on and cutting all three down in a moment, the pair stopping at the edge across the door that would lead forward.

"Well what now?!" Zero snapped, Nil pointing down as the water began shifting, a path rising from the water, "Peh… where _are you_ Five?"

"Well, the giant ass round arena lookin' thing sure seems obvious." Nil pointed out, turning as they crossed the path, Zero clicking her tongue.

"Just keep moving." Zero said, clambering up onto the rubble leading higher, and once the two _had_ gotten into the next path above, they were immediately halted when cannon fire slammed into the structure, the two looking over to see a battleship just in the distance, Mikhail circing the boat.

"These guys are so damn desperate they're willing to go with friendly fire? Damn, we're making an impression, aren't we?"

 _BOOM!_

Neither of the two could help but wince a bit as one of the shots from the cannon turned the soldiers caught in the crossfire into nothing but paste mixed with scraps of metal, Zero letting out a disgusted sound.

"When I think about it, their zeal in killing us even at the cost of their pals is… kind of disturbing." Zero noted, she and Nil diving behind cover to avoid the cannon fire until they made it into the passage on the other side.

"I guess it has to do with Five's magic or something." Nil noted, carefully moving down the unstable looking stone path, "But hey, anything to give you an excuse to kill more people, right?"

"Hey, it's not like I enjoy all of this." Zero said, Nil looking back at her with a raised brow, "Okay, _a little,_ but that doesn't mean anything."

"It means a _lot."_ Nil muttered, sighing as more soldiers arrived, "Can we just get one fucking break?"

"Hey, Zero, Nil, what do I smell like?" of all the things for Mikhail to ask as the pair were cutting down the soldiers who'd arrived.

"A bloated goat carcass stuffed with rotting fish." Zero flatly said, Nil bringing a hand to his face.

"Oh… that… doesn't sound good at all." Mikhail replied, Zero nodding.

"Yeah. Now imaging having to ride on that thing."

"Hehehe, I bet it's fun!" Mikhail responded, Zero giving a sigh while Nil chuckled at it as they made their way up the building they entered, "Hey, I'm sorry I smell like fish. But, we _are_ fighting out at the sea."

"You're not screwing around in the water, are you?" Zero stated, looking at Nil, who was just whistling as he kept walking.

"M-Me!? I, uh… no way! No! No…"

"If you're lying, I'm gonna kick your ass."

"I'm sorry."

"Nil, dammit, I told you not to encourage him!"

"What?! I think smelling like sea water is better than dead goat!" Nil said, Zero grumbling at him turning her own words back on her again, the two making it out to an outlet that gave a far closer view of Mikhail and the battleship.

"You still haven't sunk that thing yet?" Zero questioning, putting her hands on her hips as she stood at the edge of the landing.

"Hey, it's hard, okay? It's a giant battleship!" Mikhail said, flitting over and landing beside the two.

"All right, let's take care of business." Zero said, hopping onto the saddle, Nil jumping up to the seat behind Zero, patting Mikhail's side as he did.

"Right!" Mikhail nodded, flitting back into the air and getting close, Nil watching as the dragon swerved past the cannon fire.

"Mikhail, were you even fighting this thing while we were going around there?" Nil asked, Mikhail shaking his head.

"I was saving it for you and Zero!" Mikhail said, Nil putting a hand on his head while Zero growled, "Cause I knew you'd love blowing it up!"

"Mikhail, you're a sweet kid, like a little brother to me, but sometimes…" Nil muttered.

"You're an idiot!" Zero snapped, Nil begrudgingly nodding, the explosions of the cannons going up in flames sounding, Zero kicking Mikhail's sides in annoyance, "Faster, higher, keep flying!"

"It's hard!" Mikhail groaned, Zero growling again.

"Hard? A real dragon could do this in his sleep."

"Zero, he's only a year old." Nil stated, "By dragon standards that's not much in terms of actual experience and power."

"You shut up!" Zero spat, Nil rolling his eye(s).

"Hey, you're comparing me to Michael again, aren't you?" Mikhail asked, Zero looking to the side, Nil raising an arm as water splashed up when Mikhail charged the boat, his talons leaving large gashes in the side of the hull.

"I would never do that." Zero said, Nil's gaze on her once again flat.

"Really?" Mikhail hummed.

"Yes, really. Because Michael was amazing, and you're just a big dummy!"

"Zero…" Nil muttered.

"I wish you'd use my name like you use his!" Mikhail said, Nil sighing, "Well, you just watch. I'm gonna fight real hard so you HAVE to use my name!"

"I don't mean this in a bad way Mikhail… good luck with that." Nil said, Mikhail releasing a fireball that shot right through the ships hull, causing it to sink into the water in seconds as explosions rocked it's body, and the mist was clearing enough the full shrine was far easier to see.

"There it is, Five is in the shrine." Zero said, Nil rolling an arm.

"Well, I'm thoroughly soaked but still ready to do. Let's kill ourselves an Intoner." Nil said, Zero smirking.

"About damn time we get to it!"

* * *

The air barely shifted as Mikhail landed on the floor of the shrine, or more accurately, colosseum, Nil giving a hum as he looked around.

"I remember this place. The old feudal lords would use it for gladiator shows. Heh, funny that now one of the supposed goddesses is using it as her home base." Nil's sardonic tone said all there had to be said, Zero giving a hum as she too looked around to see if their target was anywhere nearby.

"It's been too long, sister. And I see you brought your cute Disciple with you too."

"Well, if it isn't the pretty princess!" Zero scoffed at the voice that spoke, the duo looking up to see Five standing above them with her own companion, a young teenaged boy with brown hair, easy to assume he was Five's own Disciple. "So, what's it like being surrounded by a bunch of brainwashed idiots?"

"Who are all dead, for the record." Nil chimed in.

"Oh, I see that long, sharp tongue of yours still hasn't changed. Still so rude…" Five said, her voice still the grating (to Nil anyway) trill.

"Rude? But I brought you a housewarming gift." Zero scoffed, Nil sighing.

"I see where this is going… and I don't like it." Nil grumbled.

"A gift? For me? What _whatever_ could is possibly be?" Five hummed, Zero smirking.

"It's revenge. For what you did to me" Zero growled, Five giving a small hum.

"Ah right. How could I forget? Part of me was hoping you'd say it's your Disciple." Five's statement got a flinch from Zero's, who's smirk became downright psychotic at that moment, Nil sighing even more deeply than before. "Back then, you were so strong it made my thighs ache… but not anymore. Michael, the greatest of all dragons is dead. And all that remains is that pathetic little shell of his former self."

"Now I wish I _hadn't_ broken that bow." Nil growled, his grip tightening on the hilt of one of his weapons.

"Still, I suppose I'll be nice and make him my pet once I've had my way with you. Oh, and how I wonder how you're Disciple is. I'm sure if he could deal with you, he must be _so_ fun. I think I'll keep him alive to play with too." Five's words made Zero twitch again, Nil catching the angry chuckle that came from the girl as the grip on her sword tightened even more. "Yes, that's right. You, your Disciple, and that sad excuse for a dragon will all belong to me soon."

"Hehehe… if you don't shut up, I'm gonna stab my ears with a fork." Zero said, her words laced with venom as she glared at Five, "And let's just say that right now, I'm _not_ in the mood."

"Ohh, I have _so_ missed these titillating little chats of ours, my dear, dear sister. But now it's time for you to die."

"And here we go." Nil muttered, clicking his tongue as a gold aura burst out around Five, the Intoners Song magic taking effect as wailing sounded through the air, Five's Disciple looking up.

"Behold the fifth song: Grand Light of Antiquity! The great power made manifest, the ceremony of glorious arrival! Burn into thine eyes the punishing lance of divine retribution!" As the Disciple spoke, water began filling the arena, Mikhail retreating up to the stands while a magic circle appeared above the entire structure, "I, Dito, summon thee in my name. Phanuel, arise!"

From a second circle that formed on the water itself rose a new being, a giant, golden crab like creature, Zero scoffing as she saw the creature.

"Ugh, how tacky can you get?" Zero spat, "Once this Angel is dead, I'm gonna be _sure_ to rip that bitch a new one!"

"And this is what I was expecting." Nil muttered, giving a sigh as he put a hand on his head, Mikhail rising into the air as the crab sunk into the water for a moment.

"Tell me…" Five's voice reached the trio in the air as Mikhail's blasts of fire bounced off of Phanuel's shell, the crab's own attacks missing Mikhail by a mile however, "Have my other sisters already had the pleasure?"

"Nope. You're on top of the list." Zero replied, gesturing for Nil to keep an eye out for anything, which got a nod.

"Oh? You really came for me first? How flattering!" Five chuckled, Nil patting Mikhail, the dragon charging and slamming into Phanuel, sending it flying into the wall and on it's back, exposing the underbelly of the Angel.

"I figured I'd start with the stupidest and work my way down."

"Work your way down? Zero, don't tease me."

"I'm not teasing you, I'm murdering you." Zero spat, Nil giving a grumble.

"God I hate this bitch." Nil muttered, tapping Mikhail to make him charge again, Phanuel being knocked right onto the stands.

"Now, go to town on his ass!" Zero shouted, Mikhail doing as directed, launching gouts of flame and raking his talons along the Angel to tear it apart, though Nil was surprised to see that Five almost seemed _amused_ by her Angel being smacked around like a rag doll.

"My Zero, how strong you are!" The blonde Intoner said, Zero scoffing.

"Heh, well, I've been itching to beat you to death for a while now. And you just went and got me riled up earlier, so it'll be all the sweeter for me!" Zero snapped, Nil making Mikhail pull back once Phanuel got up and retreated back into the water, "Come on you two, make this faster!"

"Hey, we're trying!" Nil snapped.

"I missed you so Zero." Five continued, Nil grumbling under his breath about the entire thing, "I was so thrilled you came to see me. Truth be told, I almost came myself."

"That's nice." Zero bit, smacking Nil on the back when Phanuel retreated under the water again, "Hey, what's the deal Mr. Dragon Rider?"

"Don't blame me! That things tacky ass shell is a lot tougher than a battleships hull." Nil said, "Mikhail, get the damn thing on it's back again and rip it's fucking heart out, got it?"

"Got it! Wait… do crabs even have hearts?" Mikhail asked, Nil sighing.

"Yes, yes they do." Nil said, pulling to get Mikhail to move back from the blast of water Phanuel released, "Y'know, for an Angel this bastard is slow as shit! Come on, this is easy!"

"Zero, I love that flower in your eye." Five spoke again, both Nil and Zero sighing in annoyance, "It really adds to your sex appeal. You're even sexier than a year ago!"

"You can shut up any time Five." Zero spat, Nil swiping his sword to deflect a yellow bolt from Phanuel.

"My best feature is my breasts, of course." Five continued despite the clear desire for her silence, Nil muttering a string of curses under his breath, "So round and perky… You can touch them if you want you know? Or maybe your Disciple would like to?"

"Yeah, I'll pass." Nil muttered, Zero growling again.

"Maybe next time the three of us could have some fun together." Five mused, Nil smirking as Mikhail got Phanuel upside down again.

"There is no next time for you!" Zero shouted, Mikhail diving in and driving his talons right through the underbelly of the Angel, the beast exploding in a storm of light, Mikhail landing on the main platform, Five having collapsed to the ground at the backlash from her Angel's defeat, Zero jumping off Mikhail with sword in hand, Nil stopping when Zero held an arm out.

"No… My song's power…" Five grumbled, Zero stamping a foot on one of Five's arms, a murderous look in her eyes, "No, please!"

"Oh just shut up!" Zero snapped, lifting her sword and driving it right into Five… and repeating the process, again, and again, and again, Nil wincing as he stopped counting as Zero continued stabbing Five with impunity.

"Uh… Zero…"

 _Stab, stab, stab, stab_

"Y'know, maybe you should…"

"Zero, you don't have too…"

"Shut up, both of you!" Zero snapped at Nil and Mikhail, the two looking at each other with the same relative look of shock.

 _Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab,_

"Okay, I think she's-"

 _STAB_

"NOW she's dead." Nil let out a "ugh" noise when Zero finally stopped stabbing Five.

"If you wanna kill an Intoner, you gotta really make…" Zero was cut off when Mikhail gasped and Nil pulled out his weapons, the Intoner turning to see Five, despite her body utterly _oozing_ blood from every part and Zero's sword still stuck in her, still wasn't dead, letting out a scream as she pulled Zero's sword out of her, Nil growling as he leveled his dagger at the Intoner.

"Damn you just don't wanna stay down, do ya?" Nil growled, Five smirking and stepping forward… only for a flash to fly through the air, the Five's torso being cut in two upwards, Nil giving a look when red oozed from the fresh opening and upwards, less like blood, more like… something else entirely as the body stumbled back before finally falling, revealing Dito to have been the one to deliver the killing blow with Zero's sword, "Well now…"

Nil got ready for another fight as Dito lowered the sword, though… a fight isn't what came next.

"Hahahahaha! She's dead, she's dead, she's dead!" Dito laughed madly as he turned to the corpse, a disdainful look on his face as he looked down at what _was_ Five, Nil and Zero glancing at each other and shrugging, "You sure loved working me to the bone, didn't you? Well your little Disciple won't be taking your abuse anymore!"

"So I take it he hated her guts." Nil observed, Zero giving a huff.

"Not surprising at all." Zero added, Nil nodding in agreement.

And then Dito started brutalizing the body, the obscenities, curses, and vitriol spewing from his mouth surprising even the relatively foul-mouthed Nil, Zero unreactive to it, and Mikhail lifting his wings up over his head as if trying to block the sound out altogether.

"You're no Intoner now. You're nothing, just a big sack of meat!" Dito growled, "Geez… "I love you, I love you…" what'd you love? You make me sick!" And he went right back to stomping on the body, "You… goddamn… stupid… selfish… sex-crazed… son of a… Uh… What was her name again? I forget."

"Well _that_ was interesting." Nil hummed, slamming his weapons into their sheaths, looking at Zero, the Intoner giving him a look as he looked her over… which happened to result in showing full well Zero was almost as covered in blood as the corpse.

"What? You see someth-HEY!" Zero yelled as Nil picked her up over a shoulder, the Intoner kicking as he did and started walking off before stopping, Nil turning to Dito.

"Hey, new guy, where the heck is the bath in this place?" Nil asked, Dito tilting her head, Nil tapping Zero with the hand he had placed on her… almost conveniently on her rear, "I'm tossing her in it to get the blood off."

"I can do that myself you prick!" Zero snapped, beating Nil on the back, though seeing as he _wasn't_ flinching from it, clearly, she wasn't hitting him as hard as she otherwise could.

"Uh… it's… somewhere down there, I don't know, and frankly, I don't care. I'm just glad that _this…"_ Dito again kicked the body for good measure, "Bitch right here is dead!"

"Good on ya. Do what you want with the body, I genuinely don't care, though I'd recommend feeding it to the fishes, see how that goes." Nil said, turning and marching off, "Go and take a dip in the sea Mikhail, catch some fish or something while you're at it!"

"Uh… alright!" Mikhail took a moment before flying off, Dito shrugging and planting Zero's sword in the ground, putting a hand on his chin as he mulled over what to do with the body, while in the hallway, Zero had all but given up on trying to get Nil to put her down, moreso just pouting as she leaned on a hand.

"Wanna explain to me why the hell you grabbed me like this?" Zero said, Nil chuckling.

"I did say to drag you to the bath. I'm not about to let you drag me off for your desired all-nighter before cleaning off Five's blood." Nil said, Zero humming.

"Oh yeah, I did say I wanted to wreck her room while we went at it." Zero said, Nil nodding, "OH yeah, and you still have strikes on your record for the night!"

"Yeah, I'm not exactly expecting to get much sleep."

"Good, cause I'm not gonna let you."

* * *

"I feel like this is going to be a common thing…"

Accord blinked as the mystery individual spoke, the odd girl non-plussed by the frankly disturbed sounding reaction… despite the person themselves being unsure of what their tone even _was,_ at least the intent was there.

"Zero and Nil made… a lot of time to relax. If you can call it that. I'll just skip over the boring details of the parties travels from one land to the next, it's not really much to discuss." Accord looked over the papers, giving a hum as she looked for the next marking on the map to check as she pinned a photo to the current spot her story was at, "Ah yes. Next, the now slightly expanded party made their way to the mountains. Perhaps your memory has been jostled a bit, so could you tell me why?"

"Why would I… wait… I do… the next Intoner… Four."

"Precisely." Accord said, "Though this target wasn't as simple for them to find as it was with Five."

"Well then… keep going."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **Ahh man, glad to get this one out sooner than before… but damn, work and NOW school as well. Gonna make my update schedule for my mainline fics right now really spread thin compared to before, but, whatever, I'll make do.**


End file.
